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Evaluating Sugarcane Productivity in China over Different Periods Using Data Envelopment Analysis and the Malmquist Index

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Abstract

Nonparametric methods of data envelopment analysis and the Malmquist Index (MI), both based on a time-series analysis, were applied to examine the production efficiency performance and trend of China’s sugar industry from 2004 to 2013 in the four main sugarcane-growing regions of Guangxi, Yunnan, Guangdong and Hainan provinces, which produce more than 90 % of the total sugarcane production in China. The data used in the analysis were from ‘All China Data Compilation of Costs and Returns of Main Agricultural Products (2005–2014)’ of the Price Department of the National Development and Reform Commission. Our analysis revealed that the comprehensive efficiency of sugarcane production in China was relatively low. The average scores of technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency were 0.760, 0.954 and 0.792, respectively. These scores decreased yearly from 1.000, 1.000 and 1.000 in 2004 to 0.507, 0.978 and 0.518 in 2013, respectively, resulting in a negative impact on the development of the Chinese sugar industry. Additionally, the analysis based on the MI also demonstrated a decline in the trend of sugarcane productivity during 2004–2013 with the total factor productivity index score of 0.894, a slight increase in the technical generalization level with the technical efficiency change index score of 1.002 and a decrease in technological innovation with the technical change index score of 0.880. Our study clearly indicates that Chinese sugarcane productivity needs significant improvement.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the earmarked fund from the Modern Agriculture Technology of China (CARS-20).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology and Genetic Breeding (Fujian), Ministry of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China

    Jie Ye, You-Xiong Que & Li-Ping Xu

  2. Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement; Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi), Ministry of Agriculture; Sugarcane Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences-Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 174 East Daxue Road, Nanning, 530007, China

    Yang-Rui Li

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  1. Jie Ye
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  2. You-Xiong Que
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Correspondence to Li-Ping Xu.

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Ye, J., Que, YX., Li, YR. et al. Evaluating Sugarcane Productivity in China over Different Periods Using Data Envelopment Analysis and the Malmquist Index. Sugar Tech 18, 478–487 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12355-016-0427-0

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